Readout of Secretary of Defense Middle East Security Roundtable Discussion

Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis and State Department officials hosted a Regional Security Roundtable at the Pentagon August 29 with representatives from the Gulf Cooperation Council states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman), Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. The Secretary discussed a broad range of security issues with the diplomatic and defense officials, and the Secretary thanked the group for their regional leadership and years of close cooperation with the United States. The representatives discussed working together against common security challenges, and agreed to reconvene in the coming months to continue discussions on shared strategic objectives and regional challenges.